Green Bay vs. Chicago Recap (Brought to you by The Whigs' "Right Hand on My Heart")

I assume most Packer fans, like myself, came into yesterday's game against the Bears with a bit of concern. Last week, Mason Crosby missed a field goal to win a game we really should have had no chance of winning; Minnesota dominated just about every statistical category, except for punt and interception returns for touchdowns. That game sent Green Bay into the game yesterday with a 4-5 record against a Bears team with a 5-4 record. Minnesota went into their game against Tampa Bay with a 5-4 record also. If Green Bay had lost yesterday's game, then their situation might have gone from tense to dire.

A loss yesterday to the Bears would have meant that this Packer team would have lost three heartbreaking games in a row: to the Titans in OT, to the Vikings on a missed FG, and to the Bears and their neck beard of a QB, not to mention that Nick Barnett was lost for the season in Minnesota, a state whose existence I only acknowledge because it gave the world Robert Zimmerman.

That's what could have happened; however, "could have's" are as useful as fiction, and other fictional statements that are applicable to yesterday's events are: the Bears have a viable option at quarterback, the Bears have a great defense, and Lovie Smith's leather jacket sets the standard for style on the sideline, actually that statement may be true. Anyway, let's discuss what's real, as opposed to the magical land of Oz, where Rex discovers a brain, Kyle discovers courage, and Forte discovers a heart. (Okay, I really am done with the insults as of now.)

This past week the Packers line units held team meetings, where they acknowledged that they looked pathetic against the Vikings. Yesterday, they dominated the line of scrimmage. Ryan Grant is now rounding into the form that he showed at the end of last season, which made him one of the most productive backs in football. Trade for him now in fantasy leagues if you can. The Hole in the Wall Gang continues to produce, meaning the defense scored for the ninth time this season--it's a trend. Aaron Rodgers needed a game like this after being buried alive in Minnesota. Mike McCarthy needed a game like this after saying that the Minnesota game had nothing to do with coaching and everything to do with execution. Maybe he was right.

"When it comes down to it, football is a simple game. As linebackers, you're trying to tackle the guy with the ball," said AJ Hawk, responding to how he adjusted to playing MLB for the first time since high school. This team didn't do too much thinking yesterday. It just came out and played, and in doing so, kept this season very much alive. 

I'm not going to go on about it. I'm just going to draw inspiration from my sister's blog and let a favorite band of mine make the point:

All the fallen leaves will find their branches again
Raindrops from the heavens I'll eventually swim
A river, an ocean, a wave in my heart
We got your money now we'll make a new start

All the fallen leaves will find their branches again
Raindrops in the heavens I'll eventually swim
River, an ocean, a wave in my heart
We got your money now we'll make a new start

In another week, promise?
In another year, promise?

Put your right hand on my heart

All the fallen leaves will find their branches again
The raindrops in the heavens I'll eventually swim
Don't bypass the train-tracks that lead to my heart
We got your money now we'll make a new start

All the fallen leaves will find their branches again
Raindrops in the heavens I'll eventually swim
River, an ocean, a wave in my heart
We got your money now we'll make a new start

In another week, promise?
In another year, promise?

Put your right hand on my heart

Your right hand on my heart
Your right hand on my heart
Feel the promise of my beating heart

All the fallen leaves will find their branches again
Raindrops in the heavens I'll eventually swim
River, an ocean, a wave in my heart
We got your money now we'll make a new start

The race in the NFC North has only begun.